Keep on playing, children

On AM710 (ESPN Radio in L.A.), Dr. Robert Clapper, Chief of Orthopedics at Cedars-Sinai and sports medicine author, said that he believes the injury is due to a flaw in Matt’s hitting mechanics and that the injury will recur if the problem isn’t corrected. He also said he thought Matt would be out a minimum of six weeks.

It’s possible that a repetitive stress could predispose muscle tissue to an injury.

Christopher Staaf

Unless Clapper actually ran the tests and the MRI on Kemp, he’s just another talking head. He obviously got attention because we are discussing him right now.

Anonymous

It’s hard to believe that Kemp’s swing is any more harmful to his leg than Ethier’s inverted knee bend when he swings.

Christopher Staaf

OK, so he’s out for 4-8 weeks. I am gonna say 6 weeks, meaning he should be ready to go by the All-Star break. Unlike the first time he went on the shelf, I am waiting for the other shoe to drop on this magical team. I mean, the kids can’t get timely hits all the time. I am also not certain if Dre can carry the team for 4 weeks (but then, there are like only 5 guys in the big leagues who could so that is not a knock on Dre). Plus the pitching…Kershaw has looked more like 2009 version than the 2011 version. Lilly’s on the shelf again and who knows how long Cappy and Harang can keep it going. I hope Kasten makes some moves in the next few weeks. One, a starting 3B if Castellanos doesn’t work out and two, a lefty handed specialist out of the bullpen.

Anonymous

You’re unlikely to see any major moves made over the next few weeks. Teams rarely trade star players this early in the season, and I doubt there are many GMs out there who want to help the Dodgers maintain the best record in the league.

The Dodgers are going to have to find a way to hang in there until July/August rolls around.

Christopher Staaf

Gonna have to disagree. This is a business. GMs aren’t gonna put a stop on trades with the Dodgers just because they have the best record in baseball. If the Dodgers offered some good prospects for solid veterans, I am sure those GMs would pull the trigger immediately. Within the division, sure there will be some hesitation but if Colletti offered Sabean a boatload, I doubt Sabean would say no. You might be right though about July/August mostly because I am guessing the ownership and Ned will want to see if Castellanos is a big leaguer and if the others (Loney being a prominent one) stay with the team for the duration or are gone by July 31.

Anonymous

I don’t even want to think about who on the Giants Ned would be willing to trade a “boatload” for.

I’m not quite sure why a Dr. who can’t figure out how to keep ML players healthy knows so much about the mechaniics of the game. But I do know this is dangerous speculation—please pay most of this guys salary and try to attach him to the Giants staff..

As usual, the only thing the Dodgers did was try to return him too soon!

When they put players on the disabled list, they should try to trade them to SF the minute they come back, or give them an extra two weeks rest.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=500834471 Jason Fitch

This song made me feel a little better, everything’s gonna be OK. Also, can’t wait for the return of Treme.

Anonymous

Starting to smell like 2005, with Kemp playing the role of J.D. Drew, Adam Kennedy as Jason Phillips, and Mattingly as the manager who bunts too often.

Okay, kind of a stretch, but I knew this season’s start was too good to be true.

Anonymous

Good–that hot hitter for Colorado has probably shot his bolt before the Dodgers( and there hopefully good pitching) gets there!!

Anonymous

Here we go again

bcmaiden

I’m so over Chad. I don’t think we can score the runs to cover his arse.

Anonymous

The Brewers own us this year. It’s interesting how some teams have so much success against particular teams in a season.

Anonymous

Didn’t we lose 11 of 12 vs the mighty Mets in 88?

Anonymous

Wow, someone please sacrifice Kennedy’s hamstring for a healthy kemp

Anonymous

Given his predilection for staying with veterans, regardless of how well they are performing, I wonder for how long Mattingly will keep a spot in the starting rotation for Bllingsley, who is starting to remind me of Tomko and Hendrickson.

Christopher Staaf

I will say All Star break. If Kenley Jansen (4 wins) still has more wins than Chad by then, then one would think Donnie has to put Chad in the bullpen. I still think Chad’s biggest problem is his own head.

bcmaiden

I predict Billz will be starting all year unless he’s traded, which probably won’t happen. Dee needs to be in AAA.

Christopher Staaf

Dee definitely needs to be in the minors, no doubt.

Chad is staying on the team because no one will eat his contract. I really thought at worse Bills would be a solid number 2 starter but man was I wrong. He’s a 4 at best.

Anonymous

I think Chad’s continuing struggles and Kemp’s injury make him (Chad) a prime trade chip. Package him and Loney. But for whom?

I”m still a Bills fan.

Anonymous

Hooray, 3 men LOB

Anonymous

That’s that, on to the road trip and trying to break a 4 game streak

bcmaiden

…to face a red hot Rockie offense

Anonymous

Well, maybe we can break a 7 game losing streak

Anonymous

i don’t mean this as a knock on Billz (i really don’t) but if i were to find out that he actually studies tape & takes actual notes, i’d still be on his side, but something tells me he doesn’t. I might be wrong.

Anonymous

o.k. i don’t do this ever, but is that Joe Torre in the background?

Anonymous

Watching this offense is worse than paint drying

bcmaiden

Gee, Donnie, it does a lot of good watching Jerry hit and Kennedy do nothing. He and Dee are serious holes.

Anonymous

So frustrating getting these piotchers on the ropes early and then being unable to cash in once the bases are juiced. It’s last night all over again. Then the double comes in the next inning… great.

Anonymous

if anything at least Billz got his meltdown inning out of the way early.

Christopher Staaf

Since Chad is pitching tonight and not looking particularly well, here is a question for you all: do you blame Chad’s stagnation on Chad or Honeycutt? I seriously thought after 2008’s 16 win season, Chad was gonna be top of the rotation starter. He’s been around .500 since then. Is Bills just another average starting pitcher or does Honeycutt get some of the blame?

Part of me still wants to hold out hope since Chad is still only 27 but I have a feeling he is who he is and we just have to accept it.

http://farinella.com/ David Farinella

I have long wondered the same.

Anonymous

I think Chads’ stuff COULD BE dominant if he had better control, but then you could say that about a lot of MLB pitchers. I don’t blame Honeycutt in the least – he ain’t the one out there on the mound. And besides, look at how well the rest of the staff started out. The Dodgers have been very fortunate to get good pitching from numerous pitchers that have joined up with them over the past several years – not just Cap and Lily – it’s been going on for years. In that respect, I would tend to give Honeycutt credit for a job well done rather than any blame for Chads’ struggles.

http://farinella.com/ David Farinella

Then again there are the results the team got (almost immediately) when Dave Hansen took over.

Anonymous

Neither Cap nor Lily improved their peripherals with the Dodgers.
Cap’s impressive numbers are simply the result of his own skillset and a lot of luck, and our frontoffice was shrewd to pick him up for cheap (if his health holds up!).
If pitching coaches could actually significantly impact baseball players’ performances, they would be paid like Matt Cain. The fact that they are not tells me baseball teams know the true value of a pitching coach.

bcmaiden

Watch his follow throughs on each pitch. His command is bad when he falls off to either side of the mound and good when his delivery and follow through go straight to the plate. Honey worked with his delivery in ST but he still can’t maintain a consistent delivery. His other problem is ‘between the ears’ IMO.

KT

still catching up but Kennedy was out on the throw by the catcher after Dee’s strikeout…that reduces 1 run

Anonymous

with chad’s stunted growth i do put some of the blame on honeycutt. i’ve never liked honey as the pitching coach as he seems clueless to me (remember maddux had to tell penny he was tipping his pitches?).

good pitchers put up good games with an occasional bad one mixed in, billz otoh is the mediocre pitcher who strings bad games together and mix in a couple good one. i’m a big fan of his and wish he’ll get a fresh start somewhere else, rather than this descent into a 5th starter he’s been on for a few years.

Anonymous

had to step out, turned on the radio & Steiner mentioned we have a 14 game road trip (no days off) & a stretch in Colorado.

oh joy.

Christopher Staaf

I really hope Donnie doesn’t kill the bullpen during the trips to Denver and Philly. Use Loney as a pitcher if you have to but don’t kill the pen.

bcmaiden

Donnie is running AJ into the ground like Torre ran Martin. Treanor is playing well. Why not let him catch more than once a week.

Anonymous

How about playing AJ at 1B a few games?

Anonymous

as a goof we should play Coffey in CF in one of those run away games in Colorado.

http://farinella.com/ David Farinella

Donnie should pinch hit Coffey for Loney, just to completely tank that kid.

bcmaiden

No

KT

AJ plays/hits better when he is down lower in the batting order…the pressure is off him on all accounts, just like Dee is hitting over .350 now that he’s batting 8th

Christopher Staaf

I would like to see Treanor catch Bills next time out. Who knows, maybe it could help Bills out.

KT

it definitely couldn’t hurt

Anonymous

because that’s not what ML back-up catchers currently do; you could convince me your plan is better if you provided any evidence that ML back-up catchers should play more than in day games after night games which is what they have been doing for some years. Before that the back-up just about never played. Campanella played C in all but 12 games in ’51 and ’53; Bench in all but 8 games in .’68, Piazza in all but 18 games in ’96 (he was rested by being taken out late in games).

Anonymous

Mike in those days wasn’t it common for teams to carry 3 catchers?

Anonymous

I don’t remember.

bcmaiden

Researching stats is too time consuming so I don’t use them. I simply watch the games and learn. Teams with good backup catchers use them regularly. Re: Torre/Martin – his offense deteriorated as the season progressed because he caught too many games. The same will happen to AJ. Treanor is having a nice year and is also a good receiver.

Anonymous

bcmaiden, I took the 4 minutes it takes to sort Fangraphs leaderboards for catchers and found that 9 NL catchers have 150+ PAs at this point of the season. AJ is tied for 4th with Carlos Ruiz with 165. PA numbers only really drop off once you get into Rod Barajas territory. Basically, if a team has a good catcher, they don’t use backup catchers regularly.

bcmaiden

PAs do not tell the story. Games played do and what percentage of total games played do the starter and backup play. That is very time consuming. I took a few NL examples and found the backups playing 30% or more which is more than once a week. Yes, the best catchers get most of the playing time.

Anonymous

The pitching hasn’t been the problem these last few games – it’s been the lackluster offense that’s been losing the games. You can’t expect your pitching to hold decent clubs to a run or two every game. But when your bats are only producing a run or two or three every game – you’re not gonna win many.

Anonymous

Might say something that the much-maligned Billz has tonight’s only Dodger RBI.

KT

of course Kennedy gets his hit when no one is on

Christopher Staaf

Ivan De Jesus is Donnie’s favorite bench guy.

Anonymous

Elian, AJ & Abreu has the potential for an interesting inning.

Anonymous

Who would have ever thought that the combination of Elian, AJ, and Abreu had the potential for an interesting inning?

bcmaiden

The DP Dodgers…can’t stand having men on base. Has the Abreu pumpkin burst?

Anonymous

I believe it has. Abreu was signed as a bench player and has been thrust into a starting role due to initial over-achievement. Time to return to his role.

Christopher Staaf

I bet Gwynn and Van Slyke take his next start in Colorado. I think Bobby still has value as a pinch hitter if Donnie actually used him as one instead of De Jesus and Kennedy all the time.

Anonymous

My point exactly.

Anonymous

Finally something interesting!
Congrats to Castellanos

Christopher Staaf

Getting lost in all of the frustration…good outing by Elbert. Keep it up Scotty,

Christopher Staaf

My goodness, good outing by Coffey too.

Christopher Staaf

Until he gave up that 2 run shot to Gomez. Oh well.

Anonymous

Mattingly, by his comments and his actions, has made clear he puts stock in splits and player histories with pitchers.
Greinke is 289/333/372 vs L; 245/292/321 vs R this season; normal type splits for a RHP. Usually Mattingly would stack the line-up with as many LHH as possible with Kemp out. The fact that Loney is sitting was, to me, the shock. (not to imply that Loney doesn’t deserve to sit) Gwynn was 4 for 6 with a HR and with a walk, Kennedy was 5 for 10 with a double and 2 RBI, Loney was 0 for 5 with a walk but 2 K making his sitting less shocking, Abreu was 7 for 28 with a HR, 4 RBI, 2 walks and a HBP but with 7 K and a GIDP making the choice between Gwynn and him perhaps a little more difficult. But Hairston had to play because he has been hitting plus he was 5 for 10 with 4 doubles vs Greinke. After writing this, I’m surprised Herrera didn’t get the rest today instead of Gwynn.

bcmaiden

So, how do you explain using IDJ to pinch vs Greinke instead of Gwynn? Gwynn is actually hitting over .400 with RISP.

Anonymous

Well, there’s an interesting way to start in the bigs.

Christopher Staaf

No breaks this series. Oh well.

Anonymous

Zany in a frustrating sort of way
It’s a cruel game, but I love it

KT

SVS stayed in the batter box and the catchers follow through had his hand hit SVS

http://www.twitter.com/ElJefedor Jeffrey Thomas III

Sheesh, if Hairston shoveled that ball to Dee Gomez never would have come up to bat. When it rains it pours.

bcmaiden

Too many utility guys playing out of position. Makes me appreciate M Ellis all the more.

Anonymous

There’s either two possible outcomes to this game.

1. Castellanos hits a walkoff grand slam
2. We lose.

We got a 50/50 chance

Anonymous

1 run on 12 hits?
Now that would be funny if it wasn’t so sad.

Anonymous

And the second run scores on the 13th hit. And Loney got that hit. And the final out has not been made…

Anonymous

OK, now it has.

http://farinella.com/ David Farinella

Well…………. #1 violation.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=713935344 Jason Ungar

Our record is well beyond what I thought it would be. So i’ll just take comfort in that. I hope we can play decent till trades can be made and Kemp and Ellis return.

Anonymous

Pardon me for taking the long view, as I’ve been in Europe this week. But this seems like too much grousing for a team that still, however unimaginably, has the best record in baseball. Sure, Kemp’s longer DL stint spells doom for the next 8 weeks, but luckily, the season continues after July.

The teams that have won the World Series in the past few years all got hot at the end of the season, not the beginning. So just imagine what joy it will be for this team to tread water for the next two months until they get their leader back. I much prefer the notion of a good old fashioned pennant race (yes, even with the dreaded Giants) or any other subpar team in this division to running away and hiding in a lousy division, only to get sucker-punched in October.

And yes, I realize that it’s easier to take the losses from 5,000 miles away.

foul tip

It’s very easy for unexpected success to spoil people.

Did anyone really think the team was going to play .650 or better ball the whole season? Really?

I usually dislike trading potentially great talent but I would trade Gordon for Wright. If other players have to be involved I hope the Dodgers are prudent.

Anonymous

Dee Gordon is one of the worst players in baseball right now, both offensively and defensively. No one’s giving us anything of value for him.

Anonymous

Gordon would replace Reyes in the hearts of Mets fans (hypothesis) and would be cheap. Wright is expensive and is probably not going to be a Met longer than July 2013 so the Mets will want a player in return the fans might get excited about.

The Dodgers will probably want to re-sign Ethier before they trade Sands or Van Slyke or trade Ethier for Wright and put Sands and Van Slyke in the corner outfield spots. If they did that the Dodgers would need a great left side bat. Maybe trading Loney, Gordon, and Lee would get them Votto.

Anonymous

This is a belated question for Jon. Was Kershaw’s most recent start the first one you missed headlining with a “Kershawesque” title? (I believe it would have been start number CXXVII – and unfortunately was not Kershawinning.)

http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

It’s rare but it’s not the first.

Anonymous

i was very young at the time & working in the airport manifesting cargo flights for LAN, the operations manager played minor league ball with Nolan Ryan, he tolds us a story about being in SP with Nolan & watching a bullpen session of his, he said he would here a whisp as he threw the ball, don’t know if you’ve ever thrown a baseball but to throw a baseball & here a whisp is something i’ve never herd of. But then again i only played with mere mortals.

These guys are AMAZING.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Terry-Pruett/1707390003 Terry Pruett

It’s a stretch to say Gordon is potentially great. He’s 24, overmatched, and probably should still be in Triple A. “Potentially great” shortstops his age are productive big league regulars by now. A trade for Wright would start with a potential front line pitcher, plus another big league ready arm, plus a potential MLB regular bat. Not sure we have all of that available. If we did, we should make the deal yesterday. I guess my point is that we are devoid of star-quality…or even every day regular quality…position players in the system. And the guys that are playing regularly for us NOW are, with the exception of Kemp, Ethier, and AJ (and perhaps Mark Ellis as well), people nobody wants. I mean, we could probably get a bag of balls for Loney…maybe.

Christopher Staaf

I agree. Gordon I think could be a solid player, perhaps a .275-280 hitter, well over 50 steals a season, plus a decent glove at SS. A poor man’s Willie Wilson. Starlin Castro is potentially great, not Gordon. Gordon is playing because Sellers can’t hit .250 (and currently on the shelf) and the Dodgers have no other options at SS. We just have to get used to the growing pains.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Terry-Pruett/1707390003 Terry Pruett

I think our only real trade partners will be teams in need of either immediate relief help or young, almost MLB-ready pitching. If Billingsley could pitch halfway decently for a month or two, he could bring a bat…but that would be like discovering a unicorn in the garage.

Anonymous

Dee Gordon started his career late, but i here you man. It will be interestig to see what we do for the trade deadline.

bcmaiden

The Mets are working on an extension for Wright, he will not be available. Can we please stop killing rallies with GIDP’s.

Christopher Staaf

Wow, we caught a break for once!

Christopher Staaf

OK, so Hairston is playing 2B and De Jesus is starting at 3B for the first time. Of course De Jesus makes an error. SMDH

bcmaiden

Right. I shook my head in disbelief when I saw the lineup.

Anonymous

It was a terrible throw. This is a spring training lineup.

Christopher Staaf

Well, De Jesus made another error, this one mental. Treanor’s throw wasn’t good either.

Yeah, this lineup looks like Andre Ethier making a rehab start in ABQ.

bcmaiden

The reality is that we are pretty much a bad team right now. Eman is the only topnotch player and that’s sad.

Christopher Staaf

I promised to not criticize Donnie Baseball too much so I will leave it at that.

Anonymous

Interesting game in New York for Johan Santana.

Anonymous

Nice throw by Castellano, Cadyer would have been out at 2nd base.

Anonymous

That’s shabby play.

Anonymous

Two runs on no hits?

Anonymous

I have purposely avoided being negative during this recent tailspin.
I realize injuries are playing a big part in all of this….
…
However, this team is ‘circling the drain’ …. big time!
I know it’s never been built as a lineup of “big boppers” etc….
But, when this club loses the ability to play fundamental baseball….
It’s going to be a ‘free fall’ down the standings if management doesn’t step in with all their financial resources and ‘flatout buy’ some help.
I hate to say it…

Anonymous

There’s reason for concern, but that’s excessively pessimistic.

Anonymous

Then, I guess you could call me a “late bloomer” WBB….

bcmaiden

Defense, defense, defense. Lots of folks don’t give a damn about it, but our starters were excellent defensively. Pitching & defense is what got us our great start. Now, we have horrible defense & zero offense with pitching regressing a little. I feel the pull of that drain Jonny.

Christopher Staaf

I really miss Mark Ellis. I didn’t realize how important he was until this past week. De Jesus has no business being in the big leagues IMO. Herrera…there is a reason why he spent 10 years in the minors. Ellis I hope comes back healthy very soon.

Anonymous

I agree that Ellis was a key player, very underrated.

Anonymous

“Herrera…there is a reason why he spent 10 years in the minors.” C-Staaf
…
Well said…sounds like something I would say myself…
…
Let’s do some word substitution, just for fun, shall we?
….
Kennnedy…..there is a reason why he was available at that cheap price….
Hairston….there is a reason why he has not been an everyday player mostly in his career….
AJ Ellis….there is a reason why he spent so much time in the minors…
(to me, the book is out on AJ…watch opposing P’s get up in the count with FB’s early as AJ likes to take so many pitches… hitting with a pitchers’ count most of the time doesn’t work in the long run)
Castellanos….there is a reason why he didn’t make the club out of spring training….
(don’t try to tell me we were “loaded” in the OF)
Abreau…there is a reason why the Angels let him go….
…..
And, now, let’s get back to this one…as Vinny says.

Christopher Staaf

I still think Kennedy is stealing money, on the level of Schmidt and Andruw Jones. Hairston could be useful (along with Abreu) if they only started 2-3 days a week, not every day (or as it seems like). Thing is, the best Dodger prospects aren’t ready for at least another year, the guys now are AAAA players (Castellanos, Van Slyke, Sands, Herrera, De Jesus, and Gordon too). I saw it on an earlier post and it might be right. We have no real trade baits unless Bills starts to pitch much better. I still think this team will win the division because the rest of the division has serious issues.

Anonymous

Kennedy is almost useless, but comparing his contract with the megabucks of Jones and Schmidt is pure hyperbole.

Christopher Staaf

lol I know. You have a point there. Trust me, I will never forgive Ned Colletti for those two contracts! Kennedy’s roster spot is just an afterthought.

bcmaiden

Do not overlook the Giants. They have the best pitching staff top to bottom. Right now Lincecum is their worst starter.

Anonymous

Their pitching is overrated, their hitting is mediocre, and their defense is truly horrendous (every game is what we’ve seen from the Dodger rookies tonight).

Christopher Staaf

The Giants are the only team that worries me, and that is only if one, Sandoval comes back healthy and hitting like he was prior to the DL stint. As for their pitching, Lincecum looks like a shell of his old self, Zito is a due for his 0-5, 7 plus ERA stretch, and Vogelsong isn’t great. They also have Santiago Casilla at closer, who I wouldn’t trust to close out games. I think the Dodgers can win the division with a handful of games to go.

Nobody seriously believes Zito is any better than Lincecum, who’s been truly awful. Vogelsong is a career mediocrity due to come back to earth, and Gumbarner is wildly inconsistent. Cain is OK, but has only had a few truly bright moments and his contract is absurd.

Christopher Staaf

Congrats to Castellanos on his first MLB hit and RBI!

Anonymous

Very nice piece of hitting, and pretty decent wheels.

Anonymous

in commemoration of today’s No-Hitter by Santana i’m trying to find some interesting tid-bits (today in Mets history) but this is all that i got –
1964 The exhibition game with their Williamsport farm club is rained out much to the delight of the Mets. Yesterday, the team finished a ten-hour marathon at 11:25 p.m., dropping a twin bill to the Giants, 5-3 and 8-6, which included a 23-inning nightcap.

Anonymous

Hi all! Go Dodgers! Go Angels! Freeway Series!!!

bcmaiden

This is a bullpen game for Colorado and we have scored ONE RUN.

bcmaiden

I believe Scutaro & CarGo are hitting a billionty against us this year.

Christopher Staaf

Yeah, I think we need to consider just walking CarGo from here on in.

Anonymous

Somebody…wake…up.

Anonymous

a 4 run lead in Colorado isn’t much, heck, if little Dee can hit it out…

Christopher Staaf

I will settle for a 2 run triple from little Dee right now.

bcmaiden

It is with our lineup.

bcmaiden

Can we swap Dee for Luis Cruz? That would require a 40 man roster move but what the hay.

Christopher Staaf

Wow, a Coors Field home run. Why can’t the Dodgers get one of those tonight???

Anonymous

Easy, we only hit singles

Anonymous

what an odd move by Mattingly.

Anonymous

things that make you go hmm…

Christopher Staaf

You mean De Jesus trying to play defense or the decisions made by Donnie??

Anonymous

This road trip is going to be painful. We can’t score runs or play defense combined with how much we suck on the road, oh boy.

bcmaiden

Really wondering if we’ll win another game soon. We could be in 3rd place by the time Matty & Mark come back. Some reports claim Ellis could be out all year and Kemp will not fully heal. Isn’t that special.

Anonymous

We can all officially appreciate James Loney’s defensive skills.

Christopher Staaf

Amen.

bcmaiden

I love James and it pains me to hear all the fans hating on him because he’s not a HR hitter. These same people profess ‘defense is overrated’. Witness this defensive debacle.

Anonymous

Hairston: A “Circus” out there, with very poor footwork leading to that bad throw…
…
DeJesus: A “Wuss” out there… too afraid to stick his glove in there and make the tag…
…
If I were Mattingly… I’d pull a Billy Martin and walk out there and yank these guys “mid-inning” to embarrass them in the way that they just embarrassed this organization…
Only problem? …. Who the heck would I put in there to replace them?

Christopher Staaf

Hairston is playing out of position. At this point in his career, he has no business playing SS. As for De Jesus, as I wrote earlier, he has no business being in the big leagues. I would settle for De Jesus being an Alex Cora type but that would be asking for too much.

Anonymous

Winning cannot always happen…. I think we all get that….
….
However, never, never, never an excuse for not being aggressive.
If you’re Ivan….that’s YOUR bag…..
The ball beat the runner by 25 feet…. Ivan was standing on the bag WITH the ball….
Pitiful.

Christopher Staaf

Wow, Cuddyer scored with a 6 run lead in the 7th against a AAA lineup. Donnie better call for some chin music.

Anonymous

Furthermore… If I’m an opposing manager…
…
I’m “stickin’ it” to this Dodger club…
Applying pressure in any way I possibly can….
…
stealing bases, hit and run, pounding the strike zone…..
You name it.

Christopher Staaf

Given that Donnie probably won’t retaliate, I would too.

Anonymous

Lastly….
The front office may have to just “buy” some help.
Take on a few bad contracts in order to get the guy you want….
It sounds like bad business… I am well aware.
…
But, the only thing uglier than the Dodgers’ balance sheet will be the product on the field if this club keeps fielding lineups like this one …. IMHO.

Anonymous

i want to see James Loney pitch.

Christopher Staaf

It might actually happen this series.

Anonymous

I just got back from dinner and looked at the box score. Gulp. What a disaster. Well, at least I haven’t seen what most of you have, but I guess De Jesus and Hairston haven’t been stellar. I went to spring training this year and saw several games. Today’s starting lineup was reminiscent of an early to middle March game. I guess the pitchers aren’t running in the outfield tonight, however.

Christopher Staaf

Trust me scoop, you ain’t missing much tonight.

Anonymous

I guess not. Maybe we can turn it around tomorrow. Does anyone know if that is a Fox game (for those of us who live out of the L.A. area)?

Christopher Staaf

Actually Prime Ticket tomorrow.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=713935344 Jason Ungar

free fallin back to .500

Anonymous

Cue Tom Petty….

Anonymous

Jon Weisman…
I’m sorry for being “that guy” tonight…
…
“that guy” : The guy that chooses to get on DT and complain mainly when he has a gripe.
….
If there was a rule for that….I would have surely violated it. So, I’m calling myself on it.

Christopher Staaf

Tough to stay positive during a week like this. I blame Sports Illustrated lol

Anonymous

Oh yeah… I didn’t even think of that Chris… The SI Curse…. Ha. I love it.

Anonymous

Jon Weisman…. I have your next posting for you…. And, you don’t even need to do any work for it….
…
Simply get a quote of Jerry Hairston’s comments after this game tonight…
This is where he complains about the scheduling and how they had to play this game after a night game while the Rockies played a day game yesterday…
….
“…and with the time change. That cannot happen.” said Hairston.
….
Look no further than this to see why this guy has hopped from team to team, why he’s never been a regular every day player on any good club…. and, why I’d never have him on my club. Pathetic.
Way to research your guys Ned.

Anonymous

g-nite

Anonymous

I don’t understand why you feel it necessary to impute character flaws to JH based on a single comment, nor do I agree with the bizarre correlation you draw between JH’s character and his journeyman career. All fungible but useful bench players hop from team to team. There is a reason why baseball teams sign him every time he’s off his contract, and that is because JH provides value to a team.

Anonymous

Has Donnie explained why DeJesus started at 3rd and Hairston at 2nd?

Anonymous

Hairston told Mattingly he felt more comfortable at 2nd than 3rd.

Anonymous

Did he forget his own personal highlight reel at 3rd from earlier in the season?

Anonymous

(Singing) We’ll win again, don’t know where, don’t know when.

I know we have looked terrible lately. I know our best hitter is out till ???. I know our ace is not his usual dominant self. I know we are fielding our AAA team but…..

We are still 12 games over .500, we stll lead our division and… we still have the best record in Baseball.
Stay strong, my friends

http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

NPUT

foul tip

Red Sox seemingly pretty open about plans to trade Youk. This says Dodgers might be best fit, FWIW. Also says Dodgers stepping up scouting him.